Introduction to Ostian Religion

The Ostian pantheon is polytheistic and malleable. This is a practical matter, for in its glory days the conquering empire routinely encountered adherents of unknown religious traditions, and could see these religions empowering clerics with divine magic. Furthermore, the empire's stability is reinforced when conquered populations' traditions are absorbed into the greater one. Welcome to Ostia, you are a barbarian no more!

Dramatization of Ostian Religious Syncretism in Action

When Ostians encounter new gods, they generally approach them in one of two ways: accepting the unknown god as new, or associating the god's traditions with a known god in the Ostian pantheon.

Scenario 1 - Accepting Unknown God as New

Ostian Soldier: "Wait, there is a god of river crossings? Dang, I don't want him to smite me. You got it, next time I cross a river I'll stack three stones as an offering to Baldrick. And by the way, this city is ours now."

Scenario 2 - Associated Unknown Tradition with Existing God

Ostian Soldier: "You worship a spear god? That sounds like a Valkor thing. Yep, you're definitely worshipping Valkor." *Looks over shoulder at army* "Hey, guys! They worship Valkor over here! He likes spears now!" *Looks back* "What do you call him, Valkor the Spear Guy? The Spear Bearer? Let's go with that one. They worship Valkor the Spearbearer! Build a temple back in Ostia!"

Heretical Beliefs

In a religious tradition as malleable as Ostia's, forms of worship are banned as heretical not because they are incorrect necessarily (if they were incorrect, that would prove itself in time), but because they are dangerous. For example, the church of Valkor is aware of an aspect of Valkor known as the Dominator, but the worship of Valkor the Dominator is heretical because they tyranny he espouses is antithetical to Ostian ideals. Similarly, while all devil worship is distrusted, the worship of Mal'Gor is explicitly banned because he empowered an empire that rivaled Ostia's in its time and has since been absorbed. The reconstitution of Mal'Gor's cult could destabilize the western peninsula.